This is part of a report on the South Seattle Artisan Wineries. Additional sections of the report will be posted to the blog. Download a complete .pdf copy of the report here.:Nota Bene Cellars is the work of Tim Narby and Carol Bryant. :Nota Bene’s wines show a consistent style – lighter in body and color and straddling somewhere between the Old World and the New.

What I am always struck by each time I try :Nota Bene wines is how each wine seems to teeter between being good and excellent (Note: This is not a bad thing, but rather something I find interesting). Usually when rating wine, I try as best I can to avoid giving too many “slash” ratings. Rather, I score down. Here, I have intentionally left the slash ratings in to illustrate my point, indicating the direction the wines were leaning by the first score shown (Again, I am doing this to illustrate a point and do not use this of notation normally).

:Nota Bene Cellars Abbinare Columbia Valley 2006 $28Rating:+/*(Good/Excellent) A bit of campfire along with some brett but not an overwhelming amount. A dip in the mid-palate on what is otherwise a very impressive effort. A very pleasant, easy drinking wine. 61% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec.

:Nota Bene Cellars Ciel du Cheval Red Mountain 2006 $35Rating:* (Excellent) A fascinating nose with a touch of smoke, an intriguing bramble berry aroma, and black licorice. Alcohol shows through on the nose at times. Taste is well balanced and easy drinking. Remains one of the better priced Ciels out there although the Ciel characteristics seem to get a bit lost at times. 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 39% Merlot, 20% Cabernet Franc, 2% Malbec. 15.1% alcohol.

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We're great fans of Nota bene. I first met Tim and Carol at a dinner at the North West Wine Academy (South Seattle Community College) back in '04. Love their wines and have worked bottling line for them a three of the last 4 years. We really enjoy his blends.